Riley Stavros
Riley first debuted in episode 1 of season 8 of Degrassi: The Next Generation and continued to starr as a regular for the next three seasons. In season 10 things took a turn for the worst when he was bullied by a homophobe and then was relegated to backseat status in season 11 when the seniors finally got to graduate. He was portrayed by Argiris Karras. Character In stark contrast to the other jock characters of the show, Riley was never a bully. He was originally shown to be confident both with his friends and with the girls. But this was quickly shown to be a ruse and in his plots he betrayed a deeply insecure and frightened individual. Riley is gay. Though Riley was not dangerously homophobic like Owen or Drew he had a deepset anger and resentment directed towards himself. Unfortunately the reason why was never explicitly explored in season 8 and 9, nor in anything afterwards, but it's highly implied that it was because of a comibination of growing up in a extremely homophobic environment (sports and his oppressive family). Eventually however with the help of his best friends, Peter Stone and Anya Macpherson, and even his boyfriend, he overcame all his inhibitions. He's a role model because he single handedly wiped out homophobia (mostly) in Degrasshi school and plans to be one of the first openly gay professional athletes. Despite what we see in his episodes, Riley seems to have few triggers which were originally limited to his sexuality, but then Peter helped him get control over his anger and with Peter he mostly overcame his internalized homophobia. Later however it's clear that his current triggers are homophobia and people picking on Zane. It's not known how Riley felt about Owen not treating Anya well, but it's assumed that it infuriated him too. Despite his temper and self hatred, Riley is actually a caring and good person. He was always kinder and gentler around women and charming with them. He's protective of Zane and tries his best to please his boyfriend. He took care of Peter when the latter was on meth. And unlike certain other characters, he always showed immediate remorse after losing his temper with other people and tried to apologize. Despite his flaws, compared to most Degrassi characters, especially the new ones, he's never really done anything worthy of hatred. He's also shown to be the most gifted athlete on the entire show, excelling in all physical activities, especially football. Riley is a strong person and stands firm under his convictions. He rarely ever broke under the pressure of suffering with his sexuality in silence. He was by far the best candidate for the position of football captain. He decided to stay in the closet until football season was over despite Zane pressuring him. He endured his mother's subtle and not-so-subtle abuse from his mother for months in order to please Zane. He refused to ruin his relationship with his parents for the next couple of months despite Zane's nagging. Lastly he eagerly plans to be one of the first openly gay professional players in history, despite the death threats and hazing. Relationships Peter Stone: Peter was the first (known) person Riley ever came out of the closet too. He was also one of his first crushes. Peter and Riley quickly became fast friends and when Riley was one to screw up Peter was always there to make him feel better again. And when Peter was on meth Riley stayed by his side the entire night whereas Sav and Danny took off. It's thanks to Peter that Riley overcame his anger and internalized homophobia, and many fans miss their relationship. Unfortunately they never became an actual couple but they would've possibly been the best couple in Degrassi history. Anya Macpherson: Riley's other best friend and Fag Hag. The two had a brief romantic relationship in season 8. They went on one date because Anya liked Riley and he was nice to her and was still in the closet. They had one kiss which was akward because Riley doesn't like kissing girls and Anya wasn't over Sav. In the Season 9 episode, In Your Eyes, the two quickly became fast friends. Category:Degrassi Category:Degrassi: The Next Generation Category:Degrassi characters Category:Degrassi: The Next Generation characters Category:Season 8 Category:Season 9 Category:Season 8 characters Category:Season 9 characters Category:Major characters Category:self-harm Category:Neglectful parents Category:LGBT Category:LGBT characters Category:Athletes Category:Sexy people Category:Sex gods Category:Badasses Category:Men, not boys Category:People who read books Category:Nice people Category:Hot studs Category:Hunks